Dewoitine D.333
Illustrative image; it may differ from the actual aircraft.The Dewoitine D.333 was a French trimotor airliner of the mid-1930s, a strengthened and heavier version of the D.332 Émeraude with a cabin for ten passengers and three Hispano-Suiza 9V engines. Air France ordered three despite the loss of the Émeraude: the first, Antarès, flew on 17 January 1935 and was followed by Cassiopée and Altaïr. They served on the Toulouse–Dakar sector of the South America route; Antarès disappeared at sea in 1937, while the other two crossed the South Atlantic, flew on Air France's South American network and in 1944 joined the Argentine Air Force. It was developed into the D.338, which had a retractable undercarriage.
Specifications
Figures for the D.333 variant, the most representative of the family
The type first flew in 1935 (91 years ago) · About 3 units built · Production ended in 1936
Figures for the type, not for this particular aircraft: each variant and each configuration changes something. They are shown in both systems used in aviation.
The story of the type
The Émeraude's successor
Despite the loss of the D.332 Émeraude prototype in January 1934, Air France kept faith with Dewoitine's design and ordered three examples of an improved version, the D.333. It was the same all-metal, cantilever low-wing trimotor, with a fixed, faired undercarriage and three 575 hp Hispano-Suiza 9V radial engines, but strengthened to meet stricter structural requirements and therefore heavier: 1,650 kg more at full load, for about 11 tonnes in all. Its cabin took ten passengers instead of eight.
Three stars for the South America route
The three aircraft were named after stars and constellations. The first, Antarès, flew at Toulouse-Francazal on 17 January 1935; Cassiopée followed in May 1935 and Altaïr in March 1936. Flight testing led to a taller fin to cure a tendency to yaw. After a long period of route-proving, Air France assigned the trio to the Toulouse–Casablanca–Dakar sector of its South America route, where mail and passengers connected with the aircraft crossing the South Atlantic. In late October 1937, Antarès disappeared at sea off the coast of Morocco on a flight from Dakar to Toulouse.
Across the Atlantic
In December 1937 the two survivors crossed the South Atlantic from Dakar to Natal and joined Air France's South American network between Brazil and Argentina, Cassiopée based in Rio de Janeiro and Altaïr in Buenos Aires. When the war cut the link with France they were left stranded in Argentina, and in 1944, together with two Dewoitine D.338s, they joined the Argentine Air Force. The D.338, with a retractable undercarriage and greater capacity, was the direct heir of the D.333 and the model Air France bought in quantity.
Variants
The only version: a ten-seat trimotor derived from the D.332, strengthened and 1,650 kg heavier at full load, with three Hispano-Suiza 9V engines. Three were built for Air France, named Antarès, Cassiopée and Altaïr, and flew on the Toulouse–Dakar sector and later in South America; the two survivors joined the Argentine Air Force in 1944.
Overview and history adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA) · technical figures from the manufacturer’s published specifications and standard aviation references
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This page was last updated on October 11, 2026
APA
Vuelopedia. (2026, October 11). Dewoitine D.333. Retrieved October 16, 2026, from https://vuelopedia.org/en/model/d333
MLA
“Dewoitine D.333.” Vuelopedia, Fundación Poderia, 11 Oct. 2026, vuelopedia.org/en/model/d333. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.
Chicago
Vuelopedia. “Dewoitine D.333.” Fundación Poderia. Last modified October 11, 2026. https://vuelopedia.org/en/model/d333.
Harvard
Vuelopedia (2026) Dewoitine D.333. Available at: https://vuelopedia.org/en/model/d333 (Accessed: 16 October 2026).
BibTeX
@misc{vuelopedia_en_model_d333,
author = {{Vuelopedia}},
title = {{Dewoitine D.333}},
publisher = {Fundación Poderia},
year = {2026},
date = {2026-10-11},
url = {https://vuelopedia.org/en/model/d333},
howpublished = {\url{https://vuelopedia.org/en/model/d333}},
urldate = {2026-10-16},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-16}
}Wikipedia
{{cite web |url=https://vuelopedia.org/en/model/d333 |title=Dewoitine D.333 |website=Vuelopedia |publisher=Fundación Poderia |date=2026-10-11 |access-date=2026-10-16 |language=en}}